The tavern's wooden door was kicked open with a bang. Along with the stench of cheap tobacco and bargain-bin perfume, Dust, the short-haired blond Lancer with the face of a delinquent, swaggered inside.
His eyes immediately landed on Kōichi, who was sitting at the bar staring blankly into his drink. Dust dropped onto the stool beside him and casually plucked a peanut from the plate in front of Kōichi before tossing it into his mouth.
"Yo, Kōichi! Heard you struck it rich recently. So why are you sitting here drinking alone? That doesn't sound like you."
Dust grinned, revealing two rows of slightly crooked teeth.
"Quit spending all your time fussing over that silver-haired kid. A man ought to be out in the wilderness working up a sweat! As it happens, I've got a big job lined up. Interested?"
Kōichi shot him a sidelong glance, but before he could answer, Kazuma leaned over and gave Dust a suspicious look.
"Hey, Dust. Nothing good ever happens when you come looking for us. I still haven't settled the score for last time, when you said you'd take us hunting Golden Slimes and we ended up getting chased over three mountains by a herd of bulls in heat."
"That was an accident! An accident!"
Dust waved him off, his expression suddenly turning serious, though his face still looked just as punchable.
"This time it's legit. A mutated Griffin showed up deep in the forest outside town. The bastard raided an entire merchant caravan's supplies, and the bounty is huge! But all my useless drinking buddies are still passed out from last night, so I figured..."
He turned toward Aqua, who was staring longingly at Kōichi's glass, Megumin, who was clutching her stomach while trying to steal leftovers from the table, and Darkness, who had fallen into some strange state of self-loathing after being ignored.
"You bring this bunch of weirdos along, plus Kazuma. With your tactics and my bravery, that Griffin will be as good as ours. We split the bounty fifty-fifty... No, sixty-forty! You get sixty, I get forty. How about it?"
"A Griffin? A high-level monster like that must have tons of shiny feathers!"
Aqua instantly came back to life, jumping onto the table and shouting.
"Kōichi, let's go! Once we get that money, I can finally buy that limited-edition Holy Water!"
"A Griffin, you say?"
Megumin adjusted her eyepatch, a dangerous red gleam flashing in her eyes. Her stomach was still growling in protest, but her presence had already regained its usual intensity.
"As the wielder of Explosion Magic, I require a sacrifice worthy enough to herald my arrival. Kōichi, if you provide me with a proper pre-battle feast, I would be willing to reduce that beast to ashes with a single strike."
Darkness clenched her fists, her breathing growing heavier.
"A Griffin's claws... I've heard they can tear through even the strongest armor with ease... If I were subjected to that kind of ravaging..."
Kōichi set down his glass and looked at the group in front of him. Each of them had their own questionable motives, their intelligence was dubious at best, yet their combat ability was absurdly high.
He sighed.
Maybe a chaotic battle really was the best medicine for forgetting his melancholy.
Kōichi set down his glass and turned his head slightly, only to meet Kazuma's face, which was practically radiating depravity and dirty schemes.
"Hey, Kōichi."
Kazuma lowered his voice as though they were plotting the downfall of the kingdom. His dead-fish eyes darted around before he pointed toward Dust, who was busy boasting to Aqua.
"I know Dust better than anyone. If he wasn't confident about this, or if there wasn't something in it for him, there's no way he'd come looking for us. Griffins can fly. If things go bad, he'll definitely be the first one to run. So... why don't we beat him to it?"
Kōichi raised an eyebrow, signaling for him to continue.
"Think about it. Dust is a warrior. His defense isn't on the same level as that freak Darkness, but when it comes to running away, he's first-rate."
Kazuma grinned and rubbed his hands together.
"Once we reach the nest, we'll say you're the tactical commander and that someone needs to hold the Griffin's attention from the front. Dust will charge in because of his pride. Then we can take our time attacking from the rear. And if things go wrong, he's already right there as bait, so the rest of us can retreat safely. Makes sense, right?"
Kōichi took a deep breath and quickly ran the scenario through his head.
Kazuma had a point.
Dust had screwed people over plenty of times himself, and as one of Axel's resident delinquents, his ridiculous toughness was common knowledge.
More importantly, if Dust could keep the Griffin's attention on himself, Megumin would have all the time she needed for her painfully long chant.
"You've got a point, Kazuma. As expected of you. A plan this shameless is practically genius."
A wicked grin curled across Kōichi's lips as he patted Kazuma on the shoulder.
"Oh, not at all. It's all thanks to your excellent guidance, Kōichi."
Kazuma returned the exact same sinister smile.
Kōichi stood up, cleared his throat, and put on a serious, dependable expression before turning toward Dust.
"Dust, I've made my decision. We'll take the job. And since you're the one who brought it to us, not to mention the bravest warrior among us, there's only one person fit for the task of holding the Griffin down from the front and displaying the might of Axel's strongest Lancer."
"Oh! That's Kōichi for you! You've got a good eye!"
Dust swallowed the flattery whole. He puffed out his chest proudly, completely oblivious to the dark aura practically spilling off Kōichi and Kazuma behind him.
"No problem! Leave the front to me! You guys can sit back and watch me tear that thing apart!"
"Then, Megumin."
Kōichi turned toward the Crimson Demon girl, who was stuffing the last piece of bread into her mouth.
"Once you've eaten your fill, get ready to work. When Dust has the Griffin's attention, use that magic you're so proud of and blow the beast apart along with... ahem, along with the enemy's fighting spirit."
"Leave it to me!"
Megumin stylishly wiped the breadcrumbs from the corner of her mouth and planted the butt of her staff firmly against the floor.
"Beneath the radiance of Explosion Magic, all obstacles shall be reduced to nothingness!"
Moonlight spilled across the plains outside Axel as the group crept through dense bushes.
Kōichi lowered his gaze to the silver scale he carried close to his chest. It was growing hotter by the minute, and he tried to distinguish the scent in the air, a mixture of wild beast and turbulent magical power.
"Relax, Kōichi! A quest like this is nothing for a future great Adventurer like me!"
Dust walked at the front of the group with his spear over one shoulder, occasionally glancing back to throw flirtatious looks at Megumin and Darkness.
"Watch carefully. I'll show you what a textbook-perfect thrust looks like!"
The instant he finished speaking, the peaceful night sky was ripped apart by a violent gale.
A massive shadow plunged from the clouds with a piercing screech. Its eagle eyes glowed an eerie green in the darkness, making it look even more terrifying.
"SCREEECH!!!"
With a roar loud enough to rupture eardrums, the mutated Griffin slammed into the middle of the plain.
When the dust cleared, a monstrous creature stood before them, nearly three stories tall. Its body was covered in bluish-purple feathers as hard as steel, while its hindquarters formed the massive, rock-solid body of a lion.
With every breath, tiny arcs of electricity crackled from its nostrils.